Ernest William Hornung, commonly known as E.W. Hornung (1866–1921), was an English author and poet best known for his stories about the gentleman thief A.J. Raffles. Born in Middlesbrough, England, Hornung was the third son of John Peter Hornung, a Hungarian immigrant. Before finding fame as a writer, Hornung tried his hand at a number of jobs, such as a clerk and a teacher in Australia, experienc...